BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Visiting Alfred University spotted Bridgewater State University an early 10-0 lead before rolling off 41 unanswered points en route to a 41-10 victory in the ECAC Northeast Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.
Alfred wraps up the 2011 season with an overall record of 8-3, while Bridgewater finishes at 7-3. The host Bears saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.
Sophomore wide receiver Josh Phillips (Syracuse, N.Y.) was selected as the game's Most Outstanding Player as he caught five passes for 102 yards including a long of 35. He set up two short Nick Clark (Canisteo, N.Y.) touchdown runs with a 20-yard third quarter reception and a 29-yard fourth quarter catch. Both receptions set up first and goal situations from inside the two yard line.
Bridgewater opened the scoring with a 34-yard Jarred Diorio (Kingston, N.H.) field goal with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter. The field goal capped off a ten-play, 53-yard drive. A Justin Fuller (Berkley, Mass.) 55-yard touchdown scamper staked the Bears to a 10-lead at the 12:55 mark of the second quarter.
Alfred dominated play for the remainder of the contest. Junior tight end Adam Schutz (Geneva, N.Y.) capped off a seven-play, 54-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback T.J. Kilcarr (Nanuet, N.Y.) with 7:14 left in the first half. The key play in the drive was a pass interference penalty on third and nine from the BSU 43 on a pass that appeared uncatchable.
The visiting Saxons would take the lead for good less than two minutes later as freshman J.R. Britton (Rochester, N.Y.) blocked a punt and junior Andre McCloud (Bath, N.Y.) scooped up the ball at the BSU nine and ran it in for the score.
Kilcarr and Schutz would hook up for a seven-yard scoring strike with 1:30 left in the first half as the Saxons headed into the intermission with a 21-10 lead.
Clark would score the first of his two touchdowns on the day from a yard out to give the visitors a 28-10 third quarter advantage. The six-play, 46-yard drive was kept alive by a 15-yard face mask penalty after the Saxons were stopped three yards short of a first down on a third and 14 play from midfield. After a three-yard run, Kilcarr connected with Phillips on a 20-yard reception to set up the score.
Kilcarr completed 11 of 20 passes in the game for 152 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Junior defensive back Jon Jackson (East Amherst, N.Y.) put the game well out of reach 27 seconds into the fourth quarter as he returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown. Clark's second scoring run of the day, this time from two yards out, accounted for the final score of 41-10.
Junior tailback Tyler DeRosa (Miller Place, N.Y.) led the Saxons' ground attack as he rushed for 79 yards on 12 carries.
Fuller finished with 111 rushing yards and a score in his final game in a Bridgewater State uniform. Bridgewater outgained Alfred on the ground by a margin of 171-137.
Bridgewater struggled in the passing game as well as on special teams and converted only 1 of 14 third down tries. BSU quarterbacks completed just 10 of 26 attempts for 83 yards and two interceptions while the Bears also had two punts blocked and averaged just 25.7 yards per punt on a windy day at Swenson Field.
Senior linebackers Dan Haasis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Wes Smith (Turbotville, Pa.) paced the Alfred defense with seven tackles apiece. Smith also broke up a pass. Junior defensive end Chris Steeves (Rochester, N.Y.) added five tackles and a blocked punt.
Sophomore defensive end Tate Doehler (Lakeville, Mass.) notched six solo tackles, including three for loss and a sack to lead the BSU defense. Junior cornerback Vincent Henry (Middleboro, Mass.) chipped in with seven tackles with one for loss to go along with a pass breakup.
Notes: The game marked just the second meeting of the two teams as Alfred defeated the Bears in the ECAC North Championship back in 1989 by a score of 30-27.